The Atkins Diet Can Work for You - Here''s How

If you don't know what the Atkins Diet is, where have you been for the last 10 years? The Atkins Diet is a low carb diet developed over twenty years ago by Dr Robert Atkins, an American heart specialist. It is one of the most popular low carb diets around, and people who have used it have been very successful in meeting their weight loss goals. The Atkins diet is a wonderful diet that can be highly effective for many people.

It sounds like a simple question, but most people I've talked to really aren't sure exactly what the Atkins diet is. The Atkins diet is a high-protein, high-fat, and very low-carbohydrate regimen and is great for those that love the thought of a fry-up every morning. The science behind the Atkins diet is based on changing the body's metabolism. The principle behind the this is something called Ketosis. The Atkins Diet is an attempt to trick your body into burning stored fat rather than the carbohydrates you consume for energy. A plus of The Atkins Diet is that exercise is recommended and the majority of the people in-fact do lose weight.

One drawback of the Atkins Diet is that it can become boring although the most serious drawback of the Atkins diet is that it limits fruits and vegetables. The Atkins diet is also seductive because it makes physiological sense. As the Atkins diet is nutritionally restrictive, vitamin and mineral supplements are advised while on the diet. Whatever the answer, the Atkins diet is not a licence to eat as much fat as you want.

The Atkins Diet is a lifetime dietary approach and is probably the most controversial diet plans ever written although also probably the most successful diet of the last few years in terms of books and products sold. It has it's pros and cons and also equal numbers of people who are for and against it. As with any form of dieting it is highly recommended that you contact your doctor before starting.

Whatever diet you choose to follow, Good Luck. Make sure you do you research well and be sensible. There is an excellent e book available called Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution which gives you all of the information you need to follow the plan and be successful.

Potential Link Between Obesity And Environmental Chemicals
A team of researchers at the University of New Hampshire is investigating whether the increasing ubiquity of chemical flame retardants found in foam furniture, carpeting, microwaves and computers might be related to the climbing rate of obesity in the United States. [click link for full article]

Obesity At The Time Of Prostate-Cancer Diagnosis Dramatically Increases The Risk Of Dying From The Disease
Obese men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer have more than two-and-a-half times the risk of dying from the disease as compared to men of normal weight at the time of diagnosis, according to a study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The findings by senior author Alan Kristal, Dr.P.H., and colleagues appear online and will be published in the March 15 print edition of the journal Cancer. [click link for full article]

Patients Should Be Alert For Obesity Surgery Complication
It is important for obesity surgery patients to take their prescribed vitamin supplements and to be alert for symptoms such as vomiting, confusion, lack of coordination and visual changes signs of a serious neurological condition that can develop after the surgery. [click link for full article]

Red Pepper: Hot Stuff For Fighting Fat?
Food scientists in Taiwan are reporting new evidence from laboratory experiments that capsaicin - the natural compound that gives red pepper that spicy hot kick - can reduce the growth of fat cells. The study is scheduled for the March 21 issue of the ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. [click link for full article]

In Obesity, Brain Becomes 'Unaware' Of Fat
Critical portions of the brain in those who are obese don't really know they are overweight, researchers have reported in the March issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press. These findings in obese mice show that a sensor in the brain that normally detects a critical fat hormone - causing a cascade of events that keeps energy balance in check - fails to engage. Meanwhile, the rest of the metabolic pathway remains ready to respond. [click link for full article]

Obesity Drives US Surgical Procedure Volumes Higher
Millennium Research Group (MRG) has conducted a detailed analysis of surgical procedures in its US Surgical Procedure Volumes 2007 report. The report finds that over 11 million Americans are considered morbidly obese, and by 2011, over 13 million will be- driving the volume of surgical procedures in the US throughout the next five years. [click link for full article]

How to Display a Picture in Your Comments
I've finally enabled avatars / pictures for commenters. Here's how you do it. Go to a site called Gravatar. Follow the instructions by entering your email (make sure it is the same email address that you use for your diet-blog.com comments!). Once registered you can upload a picture. From then on your picture will display next to your comment (see...

Spain Removes Skinny Mannequins From Stores
Last year during Fashion Week, Spain banned models with a BMI under 18 from participating. This year, the Health Ministry in Spain is charging ahead with a new program that will prevent mannequins under a size 6 (a Spanish 38) from being displayed in store windows. Womens' sizes are also being standardized. 85,000 women across Spain, ages 12 to...

Fruit Juice: Making Kids Fat?
Research from Australia has concluded that children who drink 2 cups of fruit juice or fruit drinks per day were more likely to be overweight or obese than those who did not. It seems that the more fruit juice consumed, the more chance of being overweight: "Children who drank more than three glasses of soft drink - three quarters...